Hlaew 430m ENE of Keymer Post

Reasons for Designation

A hlaew is a burial monument of Anglo-Saxon or Viking date and comprising a hemispherical mound of earth and redeposited bedrock constructed over a primary burial or burials. These were usually inhumations, buried in a grave cut into the subsoil beneath the mound, but cremations placed on the old ground surface beneath the mound have also been found. Hlaews may occur in pairs or in small groups; a few have accompanying flat graves. Constructed during the pagan Saxon and Viking periods for individuals of high rank, they served as visible and ostentatious markers of their social position. Some were associated with territorial claims and appear to have been specifically located to mark boundaries. They often contain objects which give information on the range of technological skill and trading contacts of the period. Only between 50 and 60 hlaews have been positively identified in England. As a rare monument class all positively identified examples are considered worthy of preservation.

The hlaew 430m ENE of Keymer Post survives well and will contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to its construction and use. Lying around 400m to the ENE is an Anglo-Saxon barrow field. These monuments are broadly contemporary and their close association provides evidence for the importance of this part of the downland ridge for burial practices during the early medieval period.

Details

The monument includes a hlaew, or Anglo-Saxon burial mound, situated on a ridge of the Sussex Downs, a position which commands extensive views of the Channel coast to the south and the Weald to the north. The hlaew has a circular mound 8m in diameter and 0.6m high with a slight central hollow, indicating part excavation some time in the past. The mound is surrounded by a ditch from which material used to construct the hlaew was excavated. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

27050

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
source 10, RCHME, TQ 31 SW 10 A, (1934)

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